Fancy New Haircut

At last, after much probing by Paul and my mom, I decided it was time for Max to get his first "official" haircut.  Strangers have been increasingly mistaking him for a girl (even though he is definitely all boy--especially when dressed in camo with trucks and airplanes on his shirts) and, after months of telling myself that it was just those to-die-for long, dark eyelashes and "pretty-boy" good looks, I finally considered that maybe it was his long hair.  

We took our little wiggle worm (which is putting it mildly) to the pros, since the last time I tried to give him a trim I ended up butchering his hair.  The place we went to specializes in kids cuts and they definitely don't allow a defiant kid (which Max initially was during the procedure) botch a great haircut--the woman was so fast and very good; we were impressed.  Max got to choose among several "vehicles" in which to sit during the cut.  At first he went for the fire engine, but once he spotted the airplane we had a winner.  They also have a variety of DVDs to choose from for distraction purposes--we chose Elmo--and Max got to enjoy a sucker (and he finished it even though it was full of hair after the first "snip"). 

Although I sometimes miss running my fingers through the soft, kinda-curly baby hair, I can't get over how handsome--and grown up--this new "do" looks on my little man.

BEFORE...

Oh yeah, time to get rid of this mullet.

Okay, I'm not so sure about this...

Wait!  Can I change my mind?...

All right.  What's Elmo up to?...

Okay Mom, I think I'm gonna bail.  How do I get out of this thing?...

Mmm--this sucker is tasty.  What is the flavor?--it has texture...

Are we almost done?

AFTER...

Wow!  I do look very handsome indeed!

I am just too cute!

The following are just funny pictures unrelated to the haircut, but I thought they were hilarious.   Cheese is one of the few foods that Max will eat pretty consistently these days, and this is him with the entire block.  He asks for cheese a lot--lately it's one of his first demands as he's trying to get Paul and I out of bed.  We typically give him a tiny little slice since he is known to shove all of whatever he is given into his mouth at once.  However, these tiny pieces were not doing it for him--I guess he was really hungry.  He reached up onto the counter and grabbed the entire block and started gnawing on it.  Paul and I got a great laugh while marveling at how long his arms can reach.  He is so much fun!

An Update

I have received a little bit of criticism lately about my blog--I was told the name should be changed from "The Blane Family Blog"  to "The Max Show".  I know it is true that most--okay all--of the entries so far are about him, but he is the cutest most interesting and entertaining member of our family.  Not to mention the fact that he photographs the very best.  I could write something funny he said or something amazing he learned everyday--so I do try to keep the boasting of my incredible son to a minimum.  And while it is not entirely true that his adventures are the only thing exciting and eventful in the everyday lives of the Blane's, they are definitely the most fun to write about.  But, there are some major changes coming for all three of us--some of  which are depressing, and others that are joyful.

Starting with the joyful--we are expecting Blane baby #2!  Will it be a boy or a girl?--stay tuned for several (around 6-7) more weeks as we are only 13 weeks along.   Being pregnant this time around is a totally different experience.  I'm sure that throwing a very active toddler into the mix of having a lot more nausea and exhaustion than last time plays a major role in that fact.  However, if it weren't for being tired and queasy I think I would forget that I am expecting--chasing Max around keeps me very busy and this pregnancy has progressed quickly.  (I know I still have a long way to go, and I am glad for that).

The reason I am glad for that brings me to the depressing change......our move to Pennsylvania.  This is a major life-altering change that is happening much more quickly than I would have liked (because I would have liked not to have to move at all), but at least it could have taken 8 or 9 months or maybe even a year. On the contrary, our house sold in record speed in this horrible market--but it's a spectacular house so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  I am really going to miss it here--and miss being near all of my supportive family.  I am already homesick just thinking about it.  PA seems so cold and lonely and far away.  And, I don't know how I will ever find my way even to the grocery store and home again without the mountains to guide my direction. Paul says I can fly back home a lot--but the thought of flying alone with two little ones is extremely nerve-racking.  On the positive side, Maggie and Joey are so close--the drive to Vermont from Philly is much easier than a flight from SLC.  And Marc and Deleah are close whether they are in NYC or if we crash their pad in Vieques.  Also, the house we bought has one thing going for it that our beloved Farmington house definitely lacks--a nice, big, flat backyard.  This will be so wonderful for my little outside boy. Max can hardly go outside here because if he gets going too fast he will just start rolling down the hill.  

This is a really long entry, so I will conclude with pictures of Max (of course) enjoying his visit with Gramma and Papa.  I left him behind for the first time ever and flew back to Philadelphia to join Paul on a house-buying frenzy.  I thought of him every single second and could not stop crying once I made it to the airport.  I tried really hard to resist the urge to check in  every half hour, and hopefully didn't make my parents too crazy with all my calls.  I missed him so bad, and when we finally made it back to Utah the drive to Holden was torturously long.  I was imagining what the reunion would be like the entire way.  I thought he would see me, cry, and run to me for a big hug that wouldn't end for the rest of the night.  Boy, was I wrong.  He couldn't have cared less when he saw me.  He didn't even want to bother with me he was having so much fun.  As the pictures show, he did have a wonderful time.  He is our little "Plow Boy".  The first group of pictures aren't very clear as they were taken with a cell phone.

Elmo is SCARY!

This is a picture of Max climbing up Mom's shoulder trying to get as far away as possible from the big, bad, scary.......ELMO!

Normally, Max LOVES Elmo.  And lately he can't get enough of watching the Elmo DVDs that cousin Koa sent him.  He brings the case or the remote up to us and uses his sign for "more" and then his sign for  "please"--and it is just too cute that there is no way we could not give in. Our TV is covered with his finger smudges because he loves to stand right up to it and point to Elmo (he knows a lot of sign language, but he refuses to learn "don't touch").  He also has these cute little Elmo slippers (thanks again to cousin Koa) that he loves to wear--in fact, sometimes they are the only thing he will wear. 

So, given all that, we thought he would be so excited to see Elmo in real life.  The little gym he goes to had an open house with a special appearance by the famous pink monster himself.  Before we got too close, Max seemed very excited.  He was pointing and making sure we saw him too.  But, the instant we came within five feet of Elmo, Max started getting really scared.  He wanted nothing to do with the life-sized scary thing.  Not even Daddy could get him to come closer.

Thankfully, the gym is big enough that Max could still have fun at the other end, jumping on the trampoline, playing basketball, and his all-time favorite---CLIMBING!

They did a fun little puppet show and Max's friend Gracie was so sweet.  She picked him up and sat him on her lap.  Too cute.

So, what do you think we did once we got home from this scary experience?  Watched an Elmo DVD of course!

Snow Fun

Snow?  Single digit temps?  Blustering blizzards?  It doesn't matter to Max--he LOVES to be outside and would stay out there all day and night if he could.  Thankfully, Max got this wonderful sled from Tio and Tia for his birthday.  He absolutely loves it, and it is a great workout for mom and dad.  

These pictures were taken on Wide Canyon Road during a recent visit to Grandma and Papa's.  The mountains were so beautiful, and there wasn't another soul around.

Max loves to stick his head out the back of the sled.  What a cutie pie!

Jauncee is also a regular snowbunny, and Max and she had a great time sledding behind Grandma's house.

Paul has become very efficient at the self-portraits over the years.  What you can't tell is that he is out of breath from starting the camera and running up the snow-packed hill to pose before the timer goes off.

I'd say we could stand a few more months of winter--so long as it doesn't get too cold.  Bring on the snow!